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A former Michigan State University student has filed a $50 million federal lawsuit against the school two years after he witnessed the mass shooting on campus that left three dead and five others injured, WDIV reports.
The suit, filed on behalf of former student Justin Bowman, alleges the shooting was preventable and that the school is guilty of gross negligence. Bowman was not wounded during the shooting spree.
The suit alleges that the university ignored security concerns before the shooting that included not having security personnel at the buildings or ID checks on campus.
Southfield attorney Nora Y. Hanna named as defendants MSU, the Board of Trustees, President Teresa Woodruff, Vice President Marlon Lynch and others.
The suit states that Bowman was a student attending class in Room 114 of Berkey Hall when the shooting occurred on Feb. 13, 2023, WDIV reports.
After the gunman entered the room and fired shots, Bowman pretended to be dead and held another student as they died, according to the suit.
The suit alleges that Bowman suffered emotional distress from witnessing the death of his classmates, including fright, shock, terror, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.
“We are going to hold accountable the University and its agents accountable,” said attorney Hanna in a release. “If the Schools and the State refuse to take action- we will make them."
Since the shooting, MSU has taken measures to beef up security including adding new locks to doors and requiring key card access to get into most buildings at certain times.
An MSU spokesperson told WDIV that the school does not comment on pending litigation.
The gunman, Anthony Dwayne McRae, 43, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound when he was confronted by police off campus three hours after the shooting spree.
